By Claire Troughton, Mar 28 2017 10:12AM

I'm a little late writing about these rings, but I was reminded to post when a lady commented how lovely the ring I had made for her friend Jo is. I didn't know the 2 ladies in question were friends, but it's a small world.

Jo had seen my 'Shimmering Ripples' 18ct yellow gold and diamond ring on the website and loved it, but wanted something a little less irregular, plus she wanted to re-use the gold from some old rings.

Jo decided she would like the 2 outer circles of each ripple to be rose gold from her old rings and the inner one would be white gold. This meant melting the old rings and re-forming into wire. Then 8 large circles of rose gold had to be made, plus 8 medium circles of rose gold and 8 small circles of white gold, each one having a solder join to close it together. One of each of the different sized circles then had to be soldered inside each other to produce the individual ripples, then these were soldered into a line. Finally this row of ripples could then be formed into a ring and soldered together. All in all a lot of soldering with 41 different joins and each time the metal is heated up to complete a new solder join there is a chance the solder will flow out of any of the other joins and re-open them. Thankfully all went to plan and both Jo and I were delighted with the result.

Bespoke handmade rose and white gold ripple wedding ring

Ewan had his own ideas for a bespoke wedding ring. He came armed with an intricate rope armband and wanted the same pattern on his white gold wedding ring.

Rope pattern gents wedding ring

I decided the best way to do this was to create an image which could be laser engraved onto the ring. The pattern was cut into the ring, leaving the rope design as a recess and blackened inside to emphasise.

By Claire Troughton, Mar 2 2017 11:14AM

Well it's a gorgeous sunny day here in Chester with lovely blue skies, so the perfect day to write about my most recent commission, which was collected yesterday.

I was first contacted by Simon about 4 years ago just after his wife had given birth to their son. He wanted to mark the occasion with a truly special gift. He had the inspired idea of creating a pendant in the form of a sun. He wanted it to feature a stunning diamond, which would be the star of the show, but in a truly unique necklace. I created a few sketch designs and we decided to offset the stone and place it in a flowing tendril setting with rays leaping out all around. The piece was totally handmade in platinum.

When Dawn's 'big' Birthday came around this year Simon thought matching earrings would be the perfect gift. I was able to source a beautiful pair of brilliant cut diamonds and set them into a handmade sun design. Once again the earrings feature the hand engraved design to tie the pieces together, but they're not identical, avoiding a twee clichee.

18ct white gold diamond sun earrings

Unfortunately neither picture really shows how stunning the diamonds looked as I didn't have time to send them to the photographer. Some things are just not my forte! However, Dawn's look said it all. She just couldn't stop smiling and they looked stunning against her hair. I think Simon's Mum in law was a little shocked by his taste and originality too!

By Claire Troughton, Feb 1 2017 11:18AM

In January 2017 I completed a lovely commission for a customer. Peter had approached me to create a ring for his wife to replace her original engagement ring. This was a very dainty ring with a butterfly. Time had taken it's toll and the band had snapped. Peter decided the time had come to replace the ring with an updated and more durable version. He wanted to keep the butterfly theme and had an idea in mind of what he wanted it to look like. I worked with him to produce this stunning ring in 18ct yellow gold with a diamond encrusted shoulder and diamond set butterfly. It still has a dainty feel to the ring, but will definitely be something that will stand the test of time. I absolutely love this ring and am now thinking about a bee themed one. Watch this space.

By Claire Troughton, Jan 23 2017 11:10AM

Following my blog post from earlier in January I'm delighted to say I'm now a finalist in the Gift of the Year 2017 competition! Organised by the Giftware Association the awards aim to reward forward thinking companies and highlight innovative products.

This year there were 1100 entries across 22 categories ranging from the traditional occasions led gifts to food & drink, fashion jewellery and even a category for Gifts for Pets! Entrants firstly submitted photographs of their products for judging and from these 6 or 7 products were shortlisted in each category. My 'Lovey Dovey' collection was shortlisted in the Fine Jewellery category. Each shortlisted company then had to submit samples for live judging.

'The Gift of the Year judging panel is selected to ensure a broad cross section of the industry is covered, from the quirky one-off local gift shop through to elegant independent galleries, the UK's most respected department stores and everything in between. During the rigorous, week long process of judging the judges forensically review and evaluate the submitted product constantly measuring against the criteria and standards. The secret judging room is a hive of activity, thought, discussion, hard work and of course fun!'

Last week I was informed I am one of three companies selected by this live judging panel as finalists. The winner will be announced during a presentation evening on 5th February during the 'International Spring Fair' at the NEC. Once again, fingers crossed! xx

By Claire Troughton, Jan 13 2017 01:20PM

Last year I got talked into entering The Dee Mile. This is a race dating back to 1922 swum in the murky waters of the River Dee. The distance is actually a mile and a quarter (2km) for the standard length and a concession was added in 1993 of a 1km distance. There was no way I was going to sign up for the full distance having not been swimming since my daughter was born (8 years ago at the time). I begrudgingly entered the 1km race since my friend was keen to do it. I started practicing in a pool and had about 5 sessions in the river itself before the race (wearing a wetsuit of course!). It's quite off-putting swimming in the river if you're not used to it, so i was glad I went in before the race. You really can't see your hand in front of your face and there are all sorts of stories about what else is in there. I kept my mouth tightly shut!

Anyway, I completed the distance and was quite proud of myself, especially when I worked out that the distance had been set wrongly and we had actually swum about 35 - 40% extra! I thought no more about my swim after that. I had done it as promised and that was that. However, just before Christmas I received an email congratulating me on my entry into the Deva Divas triathlon in 2017! I certainly had not entered this myself. I'm no athlete, certainly not of the tri variety. I only got back on a bike last year after trying hard to avoid them for most of my adult life. This race consists of a 750m swim in the River Dee followed by a 25km cycle followed by a 5km run! I was somewhat bemused, but then noticed my husband's naughty smile. He is a keen runner and triathlete and was recovering in bed from a foot operation. Whilst out of action he obviously decided to live vicariously through me. 'Call it an early Christmas present' he said. I can't tell you what I said! So this year it looks like I will enter a sprint tri. I may not finish it, but I will at least start! Looking at the miserable weather and just not feeling the love for the training right now. I'll update you on my progress. Please feel free to leave helpful hints. xx #firsttri #unwillingtriathlete